Amazing life of wartime mariner

Mar 25 2008 by Tom Patterson, The Journal

CAPTAIN William Candlish Dawson, a well-known master mariner and company director, has died at 81.

Eager to see action in the Second World War, Sunderland-born Bill Dawson overstated his age to join the MV Empire Lugard as an officer cadet at the age of 15.

While young Bill was on midnight watch on September 13, 1942, the merchant ship was torpedoed by U-boat U558.

The ship’s company managed to scramble into lifeboats and watched the Wearside-built ship go down in only 12 minutes.

Short of water and food, the survivors were rescued by a passing ship which went on to Port of Spain at Trinidad.

Only one man was lost in the attack by the infamous U558, which sent 130,000 tonnes of Allied shipping to the seabed from 1941 to 1943.

Capt Dawson retired from the Merchant Navy in 1957 and during the 60s, founded the International Marine Association.

The association reunited Merchant Navy personnel from all over the world who had lost contact with each other.

Forty years after Capt Dawson joined the Lugard, his old shipmate Bill Wilson, who was radio operator on board the ill-fated ship, came knocking on his door.

Capt Dawson had spent the previous 10 years looking for crew members and said it was unbelievable that his friend, by then the Rev Wilson, Vicar of Riccall, near York, had found him.

Together they formed the U558 Association in the 80s to trace the survivors of the 18 ships sunk by the U-boat on its 10 missions.

Showing their forgiving nature, the retired captain and vicar planned on meeting the U-boat commander who had sent their ship to the bottom of the Caribbean.

Gunther Krech declined to attend a reunion and Bill told associates he held no grudge against the commander.

Capt Dawson also wrote a book about the U-boat and the Allied ships that fell victim to it before it was attacked and sunk by two aircraft.

Born on October 5, 1926, to William Collins Dawson and Rachel Service Candlish, Capt Dawson was the great, great-nephew of John Candlish, MP for Sunderland and owner of the Londonderry Bottleworks at Seaham Harbour.

His father was an Army officer in India and Bill spent his childhood there. The family returned to England when he was in his early teens and he was educated in Harrogate. At 14, he met his future wife Eve, a neighbour.

After retiring, Capt Dawson formed the Marine Division of Marley Tiles and in 1961 he joined Camrex Paints, a Sunderland company where he later became a director.

Last year, childhood sweethearts Bill and Eve celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary.

His brother David, a former Tyne Tees Television public relations officer, said: “Bill was a big-hearted, likeable, generous and popular fellow. Whichever yardstick you use, Captain Dawson was a remarkable man. He just liked people and we are all so proud that he achieved so much during his amazing lifetime.”

Capt Dawson, of Wilton Drive, West Monkseaton, leaves his wife Eve, daughters Pamela and Gillian, brother David, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

His funeral service was at St Alban’s Church, Earsdon, on March 14.